The Unloved

by Jennifer Snyder

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Find my original review here: Link text

The Unloved turned out to me a beautiful story, filled of heartbreak, but also with love and a sense of redemption.

Julie and Nick are neighbors and best friends, and throughout the years they learned to lean on each other and shield each other from the harshness of reality. You can tell from the synopsis that they had a really hard home life. Honestly, I thought that Julie’s life was just too horrible to feel real, but in the acknowledgment Ms. Snyder explains that she heard true stories similar to Julie’s. Nick’s story is, sadly, more common; due to his father’s constant abuse his mom sends him away for about two years. However, Nick and Julie have not forgotten each other.

Julie is a pretty girl that hides behind oversized clothes and behind her locked door. I really felt awful for Julie, her life was so hard, full of abuse, exposure to danger, drugs, and all kinds of vices. All of these things have seriously diminished her self-esteem and makes it hard for her understand what being loved means. Nick was a bit more stable and stronger. I liked Nick a lot, and he sure had the patience of a saint.

Their group of friends is really tight and I’m sure that if they were to share their troubles, they would have gotten a lot of help from them (and from the community too).
The story is told from alternating points of view, this way we get to know both, Nick and Julie really well. The plot was a series of tragedies, misunderstandings, lows, and highs. The writing is straightforward and insightful. There are some things that, on principles, I don’t agree with. For instance, being quiet about their wrecked home life, and involvement with drugs; although I do understand their reasons. The ending was really good and more that I was expecting. I wish the best of luck for Nick and Julie!

“We were the unloved-you by your mom and me by my dad-and now it’s our time to finally be loved.”

About the cover: It’s a beautiful cover of two friends holding onto each other through their upside-down-life. I love the font and also the pop of color.